| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
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CBJ GOALS: |
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Nashville goalie Juuse Saros stopped 37 of 38 shots and the Nashville Predators downed the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.
It was Columbus' fourth straight season-opening loss.
The Predators jumped out to an early lead before Dmitri Voronkov would score late in the first period for what would be the Blue Jackets' only goal of the night.
Damon Severson and Denton Mateychuk picked up the assists on Voronkov's goal.
Columbus appeared to take a lead in the closing seconds of the second period when Mathieu Olivier beat Saros, but Nashville won a challenge for goaltender interference that left Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason baffled and the Blue Jackets bench frustrated.
"It is what it is. It's frustrating obviously because we don't think (Olivier) he touches him that much at all, but I guess that's why the review is there and they thought otherwise," said captain Boone Jenner. "We can't do anything about it."
The Predators took a lead they would not give up early in the third period on a power play goal.
Despite the loss, the Blue Jackets were happy with their overall game.
"The guys know how hard and how well they played," said Evason.
"We played the right way, we played hard, we battled," said Jenner. "I liked a lot of our details tonight."
Here's how the Blue Jackets came up a goal short in Music City:
1st Period:
(6:45 — NSH Goal): Nashville gets the first goal of the game. Michael Bunting's initial shot attempt is blocked by Denton Mateychuk; it kicks over to the slot and Columbus can't clear it. Instead, it ends up back on the stick of Bunting, who buries a laser past Greaves and gives the Predators a 1-0 lead.
(16:01 — CBJ Goal): Voronkov knots the game at 1-1 on a familiar Voronkov tip-goal. The sequence started with a shot from Severson near the blue line. That shot deflects to Voronkov, who then gets his own stick on it and gets the deflection goal through the five-hole of Saros to tie the game.
VORO'S ON THE BOARD! OUR FIRST OF THE SEASON
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 10, 2025
CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/biyg34CADJ
2nd Period:
Plenty of action in the middle period, but no goals from either side. The Blue Jackets were again the better team in the frame, with Voronkov going off the post, Olivier's would-be goal being waived off for a questionable goaltender interference call, and Columbus killing off 3:39 of penalties, including a :21 second five-on-three.
3rd Period:
(2:41 – NSH Goal): The Predators regain the lead less than three minutes into the third on a power play goal. The Blue Jackets are unable to make the necessary clear in part because of a great keep by Nashville's Roman Josi. That leads to a Ryan O'Reilly backhand shot that beats Greaves to give the Preds a 2-1 lead.
| CBJ | GAME STATS | NSH |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | SHOTS | 31 |
| 44% | FACEOFFS | 56% |
| 0/1 | POWER PLAY | 1/4 |
| 3/4 | PENALTY KILL | 1/1 |
| 28 | HITS | 22 |
| 18 | GIVEAWAYS | 18 |
| 5 | TAKEAWAYS | 8 |
| 14 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 20 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 2.78 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.57 |
| 73 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 58 |
| 33 | SCORING CHANCES | 23 |
| 11 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 8 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
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Kirill Marchenko had eight shots on goal for the game, including five in the first period. His 0.66 expected goals lead the team.
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In five-on-five play, the Blue Jackets had 27 of the 41 scoring chances (65.9%) and 10 of the 16 (62.5%) of the high-danger scoring chances. Unfortunately, just five of the 27 scoring chances (and one of the 10 high-danger chances) came in the final period, when Columbus needed it most.
- Jenner remains at 199 goals for his career.
Up Next:
The Blue Jackets brief road trip to open the season ends Saturday night when they face the Minnesota Wild. Puck-drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
